Black and White
by White-Monsoon
Summary: For the LP contest: From being mysteriously followed to being kidnapped by the Greek god, Hermes, Ruka and Hotaru have gone through worst perhaps. They were warned of a curse, Ruka responds with disbelief, quite a mistake he never learned from. One-shot


_**This is a submission to the Legends of the Past contest. If you wish to participate, see rukaru-romance. passion's profile.**_

**Disclaimer: don't own any of the involved show or Mythological tale below, period.**

**AN: I hope this doesn't bore you to tears. If so its obvious to quit in the middle, save you the misery of reading something so long, this should be two chaps but a one-shot seemed more convenient :3  
**

**~:~ Black an**d White ~:~

ca. 382 BC.

She swiftly stormed from room to room, gritting her teeth in content fury and bellowing her husband's name in a fuming search for him.

Her beauty was unmatched, her looks took no turn even as she was angry...no... Pissed, would be the right slang human word to describe it. But for she was not among mere human mortals, she'd go berserk if she were told this. For low and behold, her appearance was a rare sight to them, she was a goddess after all.

"Zeus!" her voice shook their settling, she cared less of the tremendous rumble and constantly cried out his name.

"Ah, Hera my darling!" he peeked out from behind a crumbling pillar; she could have sworn she saw him shaking.

"What is this?" she pointed accusingly at a neighboring fountain which rippled out the blurry image of a woman hastily preparing for her fast approaching time of labor. Hera's glares at her spouse grew difficult; impatient she was for an explanation.

"Ah THAT" he forged recognition in his eyes "that is... a woman"

"I am not blind! Why does this woman have twins instead of her decided first and ONLY child with her husband? I am the goddess of marriage after all, mustn't I know this?" the almighty god of all gods raised his heavy shoulders in a fake confusion. This angered his queen even more.

"I have told you that I am NOT blind, I recognize the genetic enhancement of that child, have you an affair...with that immortal?" she lowered her temper purposely to test his truthfulness, her inauthentic gentleness pierced Zeus' heart to extents that he couldn't find the spirit to hide his secret for too long.

"I have" she shut her vision of him momentarily.

"You should know that I am very angry"

"I do know"

"And you should know that I will curse the woman and child within time"

"I know of that too"

"Do you not care for them?"

"I only care for you, my dear Hera"

"Oh quit your yapping!" Zeus quieted himself as his wife took an intake of air. She exhaled once her mind was clear enough.

She had no time for this; HER own time was coming as well.

* * *

She purposely made sure her own child had been born first at the very least, in fear of the heir being THAT child "I will curse you, Heracles. You will regret ever crossing me!"she finally said "a _curse_ shall be for ALL your descendants including yourself!" a promise declared and if from a goddess, can not be broken.

"Now now, darling... think simply, it was my fault; you don't have to curse this innocent little boy"

"What changed your mind?" Hera snapped

"You mentioned me as the ONLY thing you cared about. Very well, for your sake, I will wait until he is of age" her husband shook his head, giving up on negotiation.

"You are cruel, Hera, do you not know that?"

"No, I know it in truth that my temper has its limits" her eyes narrowed at the joyous expression the hated child made, so she released two snakes to do her bidding.

* * *

7:31 PM, 31st December

Ok, this was just getting ridiculous.

Ever since Ruka left the Academy and started for his dormitory, he noticed a shadow lurking behind him. It had an evidentially slumped back and big foot feet that dragged onto the cemented streets in a respectful pace. When Ruka tried to capture even a glimpse of his pursuer, the figure would just pause abruptly similar to a stone artifact, as if they were also playing a quiet game of 'Seven-up'.

He tried hassling his walk and sooner he resorted to running, but no matter how far his own feet took him, the black unknown still remained the same few feet away from him. Was this some sort of a trick? Some sort of crazy illusion caused by the sadist class representative?

Tobita would be slaughtered before he could ever even pull a prank on Ruka Nogi, with a little reliance on Natsume, of course. Somehow though, he felt no other human presence than that... creature.

Fear cornered him just as the shadow did, he grew cold in nervous sweat and his chest was being attacked by hundreds of irregular thumping motions his little heart kept replaying. Even without feeling for a vein, it was like a player in the pit of his stomach, rumbling in a genuine remedy.

Slipping out a shivering hand from his warm pocket, he desperately rammed a vise at the dark figure, wishing for its miraculous disappearance. It missed by several inches but came in contact with something else rather smooth.

The celestial moon mercifully granted a soft light that dangled over the blackened street, Ruka's eyes widening in shock, a displeased pout rounding about the person he smacked.

"That hurt, you know?" she grumbled distastefully. Of all the people it had to be, why did it have to be the money-loving, mechanically inclined, Newton-brained ice queen?

Before him was a frowning girl with sparkling lavender optics and melanoid boy-cut hair which the bottom of his fist observed as velvety, she was shorter than him by a good five inches and had snow white skin being carefully hidden by long sleeves and being immodest at her legs.

Beside her was her white duck shaped transportation indicating she had arrived from above, the reason she came down was frankly beyond his knowledge alas he felt the color of his face returning, relief washing him down of his worries. Hey, at least it was a friend not a foe.

"I-Imai?" he had to check if this wasn't just his unfriendly imagination playing at him; frankly it would hurt if it proved itself fake, nevertheless he took the risk. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"I'm tempted to pull out my Baka-gun but that's officially for Mikan ONLY" she glanced at his hand "but I guess I can make an exception" Ok, she's real.

He quickly retracted his vice, it tingled, immediately missing the touch of her bangs. She rubbed the bruise on her forehead, grimacing.

"Why are you here?"

"I was on my way to Mikan's but then I saw you alone here, running" she commented on the frightened look he had and that it got her curious.

He can admit the solitude part, his pet bunny was back at the dorm, usually he'd carry it around but somehow he convinced her to rest for the day. Currently, he regretted that decision.

"S-so did you see anyone... chasing me?" Ruka stammered, a bit awkwardly.

"Hm, I did" she said "he's behind me right now actually" phobia paled his expression

"something wrong, Nogi?" she watched as a shadow instantly overlapped his body in an unbearable sea of gray, something or someone towered above her tremendously from behind.

"ekzcuz me young children, may you pleaze help me to my zhop over der?" the utterance sounded like it croaked from an old bullfrog. The figure, although tall was crouched forward and it held a walking stick they feared he'd use as a weapon without hesitation.

Aware that he IS a poor elder and that he couldn't possibly harm them physically, they reluctantly assured the aged man towards a little store situated in the street, light bulbs freshened the area in an apricot bright. _Was that place even there before?_

"I've only came here yezdertay, diz Aliz Akademi iz zo big it zcarez me" astonished that he had answered Ruka's question without him actually inquiring it himself, Ruka glimpsed suspiciously at the grandpa, looking away quickly at an unpleasant discovery.

Pushing through the narrow entrance and with some more lights being formally flicked on by the owner, they froze in place. They expected a musty, soon-to-collapse and cob-web embedded mini store but what ACTUALLY came into sight was a majestic prestigious mall of silk embroideries, golden polished statues and jewelries which took time to believe genuine, porcelain vases, stone-carved mythological faces, scribbled scrolls that hung on the beige painted wall, foreign tapestries, glass panels for different praised religions, etc.

Ruka had gasped at the spectacular quality of it all while Hotaru had taken it in much too rapidly with her intelligent eyesight and almost fainted.

After resting the man behind a reception desk, even Hotaru had to notice the peculiar characteristic Ruka had figured out recently.

This man was blind. Behind the wrinkles contracting his youth, skin stood out scrunched and bunched up where his eyes normally should have been, bangs hid his forehead in full brunette auburn and chucked out exaggeratingly behind his neck, his crummy feet were so huge that they peeked out from beneath the wooden registry. Like he had actually 'seen' them staring at his feet, he flexed his toes to slight their view of it.

"gootnez, I take bak whad I zed about Aliz Akademi, they have zuch wonderful ztudentz" he widened his arms in a belated welcome.

"I am Odeliouz la Florete and...You are?" names were introduced hesitantly but with a wonderful exchange

"Ruka, Hodaru, pleaz dake whadever you like from here!" told they were to roam the suspicious new one-roomed building, anything they wanted for FREE. Hotaru couldn't abrupt the smile from finishing off on her purely delighted face as she hurried over to rummage through some things possible to sell herself. Ruka shook his head almost trying to abrupt himself from smiling at the sight.

"Have you zeen anyding yet dat iz to your liking?" the old man gazed at Ruka, him returning with confusion.

"You were zmiling, were you not?" he shook his head frantically, concealing the blush that reddened his cheeks. He didn't know how, but he JUST caught him peeking at the ice queen with a 'something-to-his-liking' look.

_Ignore him, he's blind, what would he know_ he flattened the crimson flushes, escaping the old man's wriggling eyebrows.

"I-Imai" he cried out once he spotted her dusting off a bronze casket "d-did you find anything you liked?"

"There's no need for formalities" she turned to face him with a cold stare blemishing her complexion "'Hotaru' should be just fine" the user of the fauna Alice felt his face burning sixty degrees too hot.

"Anyways," Hotaru put down the case she was observing and brought up a rolled-up scroll next to her, a cheesy yellow humbly telling the paper's age.

"I found this at the back of the shop, doesn't this look like you?" Ruka sighed; there were far too many surprises for him today. On the parchment contained the portrait of a boy, his blonde locks shimmering in fainted topaz ink and on the bottom were a few Greek letters they couldn't make out properly. He parted his lips to respond.

"Indeed" Ruka couldn't recognize his tenor voice anymore; in fact it sounded more like-

"It DOEZ karri a rezemblanz" the old man peered out from behind Ruka's shoulder, making him jump. _How the hell can this person see?_

"HERMEZ!" Odelious cried.

A youth suddenly ran into their boundary, queer flapping noises filled in at his incoming. He was broadly fit and genetically tanned, having dark wavy locks that parted at the top of his forehead, quite handsome actually.

"Shalt you call only for a single purpose" he held in a breath, the two grade-schoolers pitching glances at each other.

"thou hast He?" with an affirming nod from the owner, he grabbed the scroll from the straight-faced female so sharply that the right part had been terribly torn. He didn't mind the large rip, glancing at the drawing on the scroll; he compared it to the equivalent figure before him.

"Thy eyes do not deceive thou" he smiled at Odelious, hope swelling in his bright orbs

"Good thou have done, shall O' glorious Hera be satisfied" Hermes tossed away the parchment with a pressed beam and gripped Ruka's hand in such strength that it lost inner blood. Before any objections could be made, the same flapping from the Shakespearian man's arrival had begun to echo inside the shop yet again and Ruka altogether being lifted.

He used his first instinct: to grab someone's hand, his palm grappled an ice-cold one.

Hermes broke through the tiled roof of the store, speeding up their flight until they hovered above the Academy grounds in less than two seconds. The last thing our hero had seen, other than the aggravated look amethyst eyes had shone at him, down below as Odelious focused upward at the departing group, the fringe of his forehead gave way and a single eye peered out at them.

* * *

"Awaken child!" There came voices, sounds like hundreds of them. The theorized number instantly made his head pound.

"Is he dead?"

"No my Lord, whilst my flight be any safer"

"AWAKEN CHILD!" his eyes scrunched uncomfortably, forgetting how to manually open them to retrieve back general reality. Queer, the smell was of a strange aroma of orchids, background soothed with serene music and a cool air abundant within the territory.

"A.W.A.K.E.N C.H.I.L.D! Do you not know what that means?"

"He's probably too afraid to wake up" Hotaru? Where are they?

His eyelids were pretty heavy; it wasn't until a sharp object pierced his behind so instantaneously it caused a shock up his puny spine that Ruka jolted from his rest, accompanied by a stifled yelp.

"Zeus, keep your lightning bolts to yourself!" the woman voice barked

"Sorry, I just couldn't help it" a chuckle roused from an obscure bearded man whom Ruka couldn't see precisely through his drowsy eyesight. He rubbed the two twin eyes he had and blinked them at double speed, focusing to the blinding light.

A short dispassionate familiar girl soon cleared out in front of him, bending her back to level to his knelt position. Ruka gratefully grinned at her, at least he wasn't alone.

"He just woke up" she said to the spectators "give it to him slowly; I don't think he'll get used to where we are until later"

"And you are?"

"His companion"

"Doth thou mean 'his lover'?" Hermes' questioned in the same articulation nobody could quite comprehend in their modern century but that last inquiry was easily assimilated by the duo and reactions were sudden.

"D-definitely not!" Ruka reacted, his body jerked up to a stand.

"We're... we're just friends" he explained, bashfully covering his face of the revealing fuchsia, Hotaru stared at it momentarily before shifting to conceal her own.

"Thou finally speak" the familiar youth declared, unfortunately unable to catch his midway correction. Hermes simpered at them, taking pride in his fulfillment of bringing them to…wherever they are 'safely'.

"hello Nogi Ruka" called the gracious lady at right without a smile. She rested at a glorious throne next to the bearded man 'her husband' Ruka presumed.

"Where…am I?"

"You are in Mount Olympus" she continued. With an agape mouth, the animal lover curiously surveyed what appeared to be a twenty pillared palace, abundant with nothing but gold, silver and only a BIT of bronze.

It contained a clean fine white shined across the floor, which felt of crystals. Above was a roof embellished with overalls of purple cloth that bulged downward in an eerie style. Beyond the rare settling, clouds puffed out to form ground and if you were brave enough to gaze down at the edge of them, a mountain disappeared back to earth's crust.

Suddenly, a theory dawned him.

"Are we…dead?" he gulped tensely, the inquisition was directed purposely to Hotaru but they all had heard it, much to his dismay. The fuzzy chinned male cackled in an immense volume that bits of rubble were fleetingly showering their heads.

"You are NOT dead" the female put in flatly "you are here temporarily"

"If you were REALLY dead, you'd be in the Underworld with my brother Hades right now" the Santa Clause look-alike snickered.

"Wait a second, who's Hade-" BAKA! Straight in the face, a gloved fist flung at his cheek. He peeked with his left currently untouched azure orb and gave his best glare to the enemy holding up a gun, a BAKAGUN if you insist on the specifics.

"HODURUUU!" he muffled, wrenching the over sized bullet from his bruised side. She was lucky that the others had gone into a small heated debate on whether they missed this…'Hades' birthday that day or hadn't (Hermes included), so she had an easy escape. Hotaru sighed and tucked away her fiendish weapon.

"These people are Mythological gods; you have to treat them with respect and that means NOT asking who's who" she murmured, cautious with her volume.

"Right, so in other words: we ARE dead, aren't we?" Ruka hissed

"You were the one who brought me here so I'd blame you for it" she countered

He rolled his eyes but relied on ignorance to deal with her. He then raised a hand at the chatting group who swiveled only as Ruka gave a foreign whistle. Before Hotaru could even pounce on him to stop, he began

"I am from a different religion, so who are you people again?" the raven haired girl neighboring him smacked her forehead at his idiocy, hoping he'd just…vanish. The big honcho (the one with the beard) strangely only smiled broadly at him whilst the twitching of his wife's mouth, biting her tongue until it bled to keep in her temper.

"Zeus" he said "god of the sky" he elbowed his wife slightly, reminding her of an introduction.

"Hera, goddess of marriage, though I assumed you were already aware of that" she flashed a glare at the clueless blonde, who nodded to be on the safe side.

He had to admit, although she was a short-tempered and merciless adult she was quite…beautiful, she would've swooned anyone his age, perhaps even himself as well but that was a pending question.

She was blemished with hundreds of jewels that hung from every available stalk (neck, arms, and legs), her worn garments were pertained to be old-styled Grecian but they added to the magnificent glow she had in her attractiveness, her hair was bound atop her head with a golden string firmly keeping it.

Her spouse had just conveniently draped on a white blanket over carefully censored parts, nothing more than a gold brooch that clipped it to place. Ruka shuddered at his choice of fashion.

"You've met Hermes, I presume. He is our messenger" she threw back a hand at the winged-shoed man who waved at them from his station at Zeus' right hand.

"Well, we'll make this brief" commented Hera, adjusting naturally in her stiff seat.

"You must know that this isn't just a courtesy visit and for you two are just...mortals, your stay here is limited" waiting for a nod from the invited, she continued "And I must say although we had summoned for Ruka specifically, the girl is...a surprise" she looked doubtfully at the emotionless Hotaru but slumped her shoulders as if saying 'oh well'. "I have ordered Hermes to search for you, Ruka Nogi, to warn you"

"There is a legend, concerning a promise Hera made centuries ago" Zeus carried on "we can not explain much, the saying was created BEFORE the promise. So Hera sort of…activated it. It goes on-" the god of gods dramatically hung his tone there but hadn't completely left the conversation.

"'Tis it be done, madness thou will turn.

Power will wreak havoc amongst thy people.

With the strength of a Titan, the will of Hercules

Whilst inherit a curse and thus cessation"

Ruka blinked, dumbfounded "what's THAT got to do with me?"

"You" Hera proclaimed "your forebear IS the great Hercules, that is YOUR curse"

"There must be some mistake" he stubbornly objected "I mean I CAN'T be the descendant of a 'Disney' character" Ruka snorted, the joke not reaching the three godly beings ahead of him.

"We do not associate with this 'Dees-ni' you speak of" Zeus pointed out, quite crossly.

"The curse could happen anytime soon" Hera went on "frankly it'll be dangerous in your later years. Might as well have it-"

"Ok, stop. Stop for a second"

An ongoing melody still tapped the majesty in a calming aura however the rendezvous was hushed. The atmosphere went polar; belittling their spirits of a positive reply. His serious turquoise orbs penetrated what they could of his speakers with their imperfect grade. Without a doubt, one thought cooperated into all their minds, immortal or plain: He didn't believe them.

"look, thanks for telling me all this" he whirled his head around for an exit "But I…WE have to go. In fact, it's our friend's birthday tomorrow and I still haven't got her a present" he laughed, gesturing to Hotaru at the 'our friend' phrase. He limited eye contact with her for although he spoke the truth, he felt her eye him distrustfully, had he done something wrong?

"Why do you not believe us?" asked Zeus

"Who said I didn't?" he feigned a smile, ignoring the voluntary scoff Hotaru had freed from her lips "I will watch out for this… power-seeking Titan or whatever you call it, but your underestimating me. I live with people who use 'Alices' also known as Special Abilities, i have one too so whatever my curse is, I'm sure we could take care of it"

"but-" "don't bother yourself, Zeus" Hera shrewdly interrupted "if he must go, he must; but answer this one question for me, Ruka descendant of Heracles" she slouched in the boy's direction to shorten what distance stretched across them, her slender stomach suffering from the pressure of flexing.

"Which would you prefer, a pleasant and easy life or a severe yet glorious one?"

He mentally weighed out the pros and cons of both, not having much of an ideal reply. A pleasant and easy life was indeed what he had dreamed of when he was at his eleventh age; he envisioned it with Mikan as his…wife and Natsume forever staying by his side in a peaceful field blessed with hundreds of animals. It had been two years since he had told this to Mikan at the end of the Alice Academy festival but now she was rightly reserved for his best friend. He loved her and she clearly returned his feelings.

It hurt and stung with the unbearable emotion of regret yet he knew he HAD to do it. Should he consider that 'severe'? He knew good things would come to him one way or another, maybe better things if he was lucky. His future, he could not forebode but his response to the inquiry was predictable.

"Severe yet glorious" he announced, surprising the entire group excluding the Marriage goddess who had an undecipherable look on her face. She clicked her fingers harmoniously.

"Hermes, take them home" a fairly low bow was presented before he rapidly flapped his wings, headed to the nervous pair of humans, lifted them both with two swift arms and skedaddled away.

"I now see the world in a different way" Hera muttered to her husband once Hermes and his passengers were out of earshot "and they are all idiots"

"What was that all about, Hera? Asking such a nymph-like question"

"It was a test. Hercules was asked that same question, they both have equal answers. We were NOT mistaken; he IS the descendant of Hercules. He WILL receive the curse" she snapped her scarlet painted nails and a fruit basket was immediately delivered to her by an immortal cherub. She nabbed off a grape and sunk her teeth into the juicy fruit.

"So what do we do?"

"We can not do anymore, we HAVE warned that mortal boy. That's all we can do"

"Hm, speaking of mortals…that Hotaru girl was cute, you know? Even if she may be Ruka's assumed lover, maybe I-" something small and purple slammed into his cheek.

"You seem jealous" he rubbed his cheek of bearable yet stinging contact as Hera steered her head away, denying of her visible envy.

"I am NOT!" she scoffed, gluttony filling in the hollow feeling her stomach compressed.

* * *

"My my, back zo zun?" Odelious crossed his jiggly limbs content with plenty of wrinkles and forbidden warts. Once the three touched the wooden floor of the shop, Ruka wriggled away from Hermes grip, breathing heavily.

"You're the worst pilot ever!" he muttered between coughs despite the man offering apologetic statements. Hotaru wasn't in the best shape either, in fact she was ready to puke. She wheezed, holding her abdomen, swallowing up her gradually crawling-up meal.

"I azzumed de chat wud have been longer" the old man turned to Hermes after examining the sickly conditions of his recent customers.

"Afraid I am, shalt occur his curse" his accent played at the word 'curse' and he ruffled his hair, disappointingly.

"Don't worry" Ruka huffed, the proposed subject irritating him. "I'll take care of that... 'Titan' of yours"

"Thou do not understa-"

"Where's the bathroom?" Ruka's head shot up suddenly, his clutched stomach feeling rather bubbly. Odelious gave a careless toss of his thumb and the ill boy wobbled toward its pointed location.

"Stand he can't against the Titan" grumbled the godly creature, lifting his slung-on bag and reaching in for something.

"Miss Hotaru, would thou please doth something for me?" Hermes tried to reverse his sentence to a modern type however failed by two frequent terms. She peeked at him, his palm open with a beautiful ruby ring sitting on it.

* * *

"Erk, I STILL don't feel so good" Ruka patted his woozy stomach as they were departing the store that night.

"I feel even worse, I wasn't able to get my free item" his eyes squinted

"is that all your thinking of right now?"

"is that even a question?" she blandly asked

"oh, forget it"

"just did"

They walked until they reached an intersection separating their gender houses, one lamp light flickered in the center.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?" Ruka rubbed the corner of his scalp, his sun-blazing hair shimmering in the midnight colors.

Her angelic optics were bathed in a deep mirage of amethyst as she observed him, seeming like precious jewels under the grazing light that gifted them. "Yeah, sure" a rush of relief, yet again.

He expected her to be angry at what he had decided back then; it felt like days past more than hours since the Olympic arc. Ruka flipped to his portion of the road as his comrade's feminine voice died down in the other.

"by the way, Mr. Bear will be staying over at Youchi's place tonight so Mikan's birthday will be held in the school instead of Mr. Bear's house..." he bobbed his head as if she could still see him, the light saddling away as he kept forward.

In the empty street, he could shape out his dorm, miles away from where he situated even the Academy was closer to him from behind. The moon peered out of the clouds dressed in full white, a song like sirens played from afar, kind of frightening actually. He was about to curiously run to its source when all of a sudden, his abdomen churned and he spilled on the spot, the cement covered in a new layer of dinner.

"The hell!" he wiped his saliva-dripping mouth, unstoppably coughing out more. He was definitely going to blame Hermes for this.

Gazing up, a white glowing woman stood before him. He glanced at the green vomit at ground then back at her radiant beauty, the concept embarrassing him…just a little. But hey, was EVERYONE following him around?

She was a slender middle aged female having large feathered twin wings celled to her back, holding her hands to her bare chest as she sung a chilling cappella. He couldn't move, the tune restricted his body from moving, either that or he didn't have the heart to break off such a magnificent song. Sounded similar to millions of carillons, her soft voice constantly rusted his bones in elaborate vocals. Finally, it ended and Ruka's eyes swirled crimson.

* * *

His age limited his vocabulary and didn't allow him to call out particular names, so it was definitely problematic as he searched. The hallways were murdered of any impeccable noise; bug sounds were outside while he was inside, trapped between multiple walls of beige. He wandered the soundless corridors for hours, his shoes squeaked at the feeble touches of the floor.

A tiny brown being silhouetted in the last classroom he was to check. "Ah!" he cried, stumbling to the shocked teddy bear and embracing him.

'He was scared' the plush's thoughts met his and tears showered his puffy baby cheeks. Mr. Bear raised the Science book the boy left at the classroom, silently explaining why he was there.

'I'll never leave you again' his mind connected to his, returning the boy's hug. The possessed toy could have sworn he heard a faint yet sensible reply from his timid friend but instincts warned him not to ask. 'I know'.

And then suddenly something clattered onto the floor and Youichi being forcefully pushed aside by .

* * *

11:54 PM, 31st December

"Oops" he stepped cautiously over the fallen book; his lips bared a sharpened set of fangs. The night sky could only provide light for those razor teeth pulled into a smile and a pair of small glowing maroon orbs.

He wasn't patient, as soon as he saw them; he rammed them, seething the power that was amazingly accessible to him. He swiped with it, so efficient. He sliced, cotton slapping onto his grinning face.

He knew that it would have been blood, had he not attacked the measly teddy bear as his first target. Even so, it felt good, really good. He gave one maniacal chuckle at the casted away toy, surveying anxiously for something fleshier.

He found the boy cowering under a table; he flung the hiding place aside and held the kid up in the air by his thin collar. The boy was astonished at first, seeing who his attacker was for he couldn't believe the evil in him that tore his friend to sleep, one that was as deep as death.

He choked in the enemy's grasp, struggled with useless attempts. His rare silver locks swung frantically, pleading endlessly for help in the abandoned classroom. At that moment, four fraternal ghosts sprouted out of no where to aid the poor boy. The tall blonde predator stabbed a fist at his gut and the spirits faded away in perfect timing, sticky scarlet liquid shot out of his mouth.

"Youichi" he frowned, the kid's blood splat onto his face "You were too easy" he tossed the unconscious to a wall, the three-year old cried in pain at the collision. He continuously trudged down the hallways, licking his lips of their intriguing iron taste. His unnatural magenta orbs darted north.

"I didn't expect you to come this early" he smirked "but you can come out now, Hotaru" the mentioned girl peered out from a tight dim corner at the end of the hallway south from him, fists bound to her sides, concealing her sweaty palms. She then relaxed herself against the soothing straight wall, praying that her unsteady heartbeats wouldn't reveal themselves to him.

"Ruka" she said "what happened to you?" he grunted, stuffing his pockets and reversing to face her.

"I thought 'the genius' would have known that by now" he advanced two steps.

"Actually, I don't know WHAT happened to me exactly, I just...felt for a good kill tonight"

"A good kill" she echoed, shuffling the item in her hand. Fortunately, ever since the Grecian messenger gave it to her, she clung onto the jeweled ring, feeling sort of safe as long as it was in her gentle grasp. Honestly, it didn't assure her of her safety but did she have another alternative?

"Now, mind explaining why you're here?"

"I want…to talk to you" he chuckled, knowing well that it was futile.

"In the middle of the night? Wouldn't Mikan be worried about that?"

"She doesn't know, I didn't go to her house yet" a confused look loitered in his complexion momentarily but he strictly erased it. It was then Hotaru noticed of the blood-red iris simmering with his azure ones. Four steps.

"Listen, it's obvious you're being controlled"

"Well, so what? This power is amazing" he stared at his palm, half stained with Youichi's blood.

"Whoever is controlling me, I'll have to thank later. I feel like I can kill ANYONE I want to, my enemies, those who defied me when I was a stupid animal lover. Now, thanks to my animal alice, i can obtain fangs and-"

"Listen to yourself, you don't normally talk like that either" she distracted, the circular accessory now at her fingertips, still hidden well. Five steps.

"You know, your pissing me off right now, do you have a certain...death wish?"

"No, I don't" she bluntly stated "and you think I don't know that by now, bunny boy?" six steps.

"Big mistake" he took a ten-step charge at her while she prepared the ring.

It was easily slipped onto his red drenched middle finger, as smooth as butter while wet but an unimaginable consequence befell on our heroine.

"You...Baka!" she cringed. Straight into her gut, a single pencil forced entrance into the organ formally called her diaphragm, she couldn't breathe anymore. He instead looked at the foreign ring on his finger, a strange tingling shook him and he instinctively cursed.

"Shit, is this hellebore?" he tried to wrench the ruby gold off but the effect began much sooner than he had expected; the crimson was gradually dispersing from his iris'.

As a last resort and for his own pleasurable revenge, Ruka heartlessly ripped out the rusted leaded tool from its drilled-in hole. Hotaru cried out an ear-piercing scream, blood spilling out from the tiny perfect circle. Orbs reverted to his natural turquoise and his mind, clean.

* * *

He gave a questioning gaze around the hardly lit corridor and at the defenseless girl on the tiled floor, trying pettily not to cry, her hand to her abdomen, exploding with a foggy pigment. She gasped and heaved, asthmatic maybe. "Are you ok?"

"baka"

"Eh?"

"You baka" wait, that voice.

"Hotaru?" she didn't reply and honestly, didn't want to. She constantly repeated mentally that it was her carelessness that brought her to this incident but she just couldn't find the understanding heart to believe that he didn't do it intentionally. It just hurt, so much.

She had lost her Bakagun earlier, probably dropped it somewhere, an unlucky loss, not even her 'baka' phrases could substitute how much she wanted to hit him.

"Hey, what's going on here? Where are we?" the inquiries had to be tended to personally, he glanced at the ruby on his finger and at the stick his free hand obtained.

Wait, no...That's a pencil with…red paint on it.

Was he recently sleep-walking AND painting at the same time?

"You...stabbed me with...that" Hotaru muttered, her breathing not supporting her small movement. It took a few minutes to process what she had said with her low tone but he got the striking message. His eyes widened, noticing her injury at the last minute.

"No...I would neve-"

"Ruka, it was YOU who attacked me" she calmly explained but it sounded more like an accusation. Perspiration cascaded down her forehead and dripped down her eyes like tears.

"No way!"

"That was your curse…"

"Don't say that in front of me! You know that it's probably a fake"

"The Titan from your curse was you!" she gasped, her energy completely drained from that last little exclamation. He was devastated, nearly about to yell at her for creating such a lie but he refrained himself. Her stoic expression never left her even at times of extreme pain.

Transparent tears and tiny smiles were not frequent yet they were major in telling her emotion for the moment. He couldn't tell, none of the two really flashed up. She gave a terrible cough that steered him back to the event.

"We'll talk about this later, come on" he straightened his legs and offered his dry hand. She wanted to reject it, to be able to walk on her own two feet, to not BE the damsel-in-distress, but she knew that it was impossible in her current weak state. She gave in.

The brush of their fingers longed for an agreement and after that, every thing passed in lightning speed. He mounted her onto his back, the sweat, blood and perhaps tears washed the back of his shirt of today's share of dirt. Outside, thunder roared, lightning shattered the sky like golden knives and the rain poured, tumbling drop over drop.

Ruka didn't mind it, once he reached the porch entrance of the school; he dashed across the wet pavement in a pitter-patter motion. Hotaru's eyelids closed, the water knocking her pale sensitive skin.

_I'm sorry; Hotaru but I can't believe you._

_I should've known about the pencil in your hand, I didn't see it though._

_Don't blame me because I know that coming from the almighty ice queen, something harsh is going to be said…if I admit your telling the truth._

_Guess I can't blame you this time._

_But I just can't imagine hurting you.  
_

_But that doesn't mean I forgive you, not yet._

Their words never reached. Ruka felt the heartbeat of his friend, patting him in what he wished was Morse code. An impeccable thing like that just couldn't find the shooting star for it.

He barged into a luminous building he was familiar with; a man was packing his things from inside, residing behind the cashier, he looked up and grumbled "don't you know what time it is, young man?"

"Please help her, she was stabbed" it took more minutes of persuasion until the adult finally rummaged in his neatly fixed suitcase for his stethoscope.

"This is bad; she hasn't been breathing for a while" he unplugged his ears of the instrument. "I'll have to take her to the Emergency room"

"Ok" Ruka nodded earnestly, releasing her freezing hand.

"baka" she bopped his hand, the nearest part for her to hit. "It was JUST a pencil"

"Right" he attempted laughter, he hiccuped instead. She was then rushed into the door, entitled atop with the sign 'Emergency'.

The sky blue eyed boy awaiting her return outside the door on a comfy bench. The single doctor could be overheard with loud instruments controlled to skim through her body, he could have sworn he heard a pin insert harshly into her skin. All of which, our brave Hotaru gave no squeal or scream indicating pain, she was strong.

_Without a doubt, you are._ Ruka smiled, pressing his damp back to the wall.

Now, he can relax. The curse was over; Hotaru had tried to tell him before. He'll have to say sorry when she gets out, _damn._ He chuckled, the healing attempts of her wound sounding like music to his ears

And then just like that, it all ended.

Beep Beep Beep B e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e ep.

12:01 P.M, 1st January

* * *

"The curse was harsh"

"He didn't believe us, it was of his choice. It happened to Heracles anyway" Hera tossed back her elegant hair.

"You could have stopped it"

"I'm a goddess, not a genie"

"How about bringing the girl back to life?"

"Don't be stupid!" she splashed the magic water onto his face, it dripped to his cloth. "If YOU care so much, YOU go ask Hades to bring her back"

"You know I can't do that"

"Good, that makes two of us" on the fountain, she rippled out an image. "Return the Siren to Poseidon and call back Hermes and Odelious, the mission is over" Hera turned away, promising no sympathy for the boy weeping at the edge of a girl's death bed.

After all, what mere children could understand that it was love?

~:~ En**d ~:~**

**Based on the Heracles Story  
**

**AN: I'm suprised you reached the bottom, skipped down perhaps? (shrug) anyway if you liked this please consider to vote for me, pweety pwease? :)**

**Black and white because of the peculiar constant change of lighting, lol and ofcourse, the meaning of the story.  
**


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